11 Current NBA Stars That Never Played For Their Original Teams

David Gonos 04:25 pm, June 21st, 2017

Once again, the NBA Draft is upon us and we get to take a deep breath and think about the great possibilities that lie ahead for some of these players. Then again, we also get time to look back and shake our heads at some of the painful trades our teams made that included sending away players that would eventually shine on another NBA team.

Sure, in some cases, these NBA stars that got traded by the team that picked them brought back some good players in return, but for the most part, these are failed trades.

We all know about how the Sonics traded away Scottie Pippen after drafting him and that the Hornets traded away Kobe Bryant to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. But some of the traded NBA stars below are guaranteed to surprise you!

The Celtics and Sixers are making a big trade, swapping the first and third overall picks in the 2017 NBA Draft, so those are potentially a couple more players we’ll be adding to this list in the future years!

11 Current NBA Stars That Got Traded Early

The following NBA players were traded by the team that drafted them, only to become either NBA stars – or reliable NBA players.

Kevin Love – Drafted/Traded By Memphis Grizzlies In 2008

Coming out of UCLA, Love was considered one of the very best passing centers in the game, with a ton of upside. He was packaged along with Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins and Mike Miller the Minnesota Timberwolves for Greg Buckner, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and O.J. Mayo.

Love went on to become a four-time All-Star, NBA champion and winner of the 2010-11 Most Improved Player Award.

Love and Mayo were the prime pieces in this deal, but it’s pretty great to see Antoine Walker’s name again!

Photo Credit: Jason Miller, Getty Images

LaMarcus Aldridge – Drafted/Traded By Chicago Bulls In 2006

The Bulls drafted Aldridge out of Texas with the second overall pick in 2006 and promptly traded him to the Trail Blazers for Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa. Aldridge would go on to become a 20-10 center with the Blazers, a five-time All-Star and now he’s playing like a boss with the Spurs.

Photo Credit: Scott Halleran, Getty Images

Marc Gasol – Drafted/Traded By L.A. Lakers In 2007

The Lakers traded Gasol, their second-round pick in 2007, along with Kwame Brown, a 2008 first-rounder, a 2010 first-rounder and two other players for Pau Gasol and a second-rounder. They ended up winning with the elder Gasol, but it’s tough to look back on this trade with pride if I were a Lakers fan.

Photo Credit: Joe Murphy, Getty Images

Rajon Rondo -- Drafted/Traded By Phoenix Suns In 2006

Sure, he’s on the backside of his career now, but he helped steer the 2008 Boston Celtics to an NBA Championship and has proven to be one of the best assist-men in the NBA over the past decade. The Suns could afford to move him because they had veteran point guard Steve Nash, but Rondo could have kept this team relevant for the next decade.

Rondo was traded on draft day along with Brian Grant for a 2007 first-rounder that ended up being Rudy Fernandez. What’s really interesting about the draft pick used on Rondo, is that it exchanged hands several times before the Suns used it to pick him.

In 2004, the Lakers, who originally had this pick, traded it with Rick Fox and Gary Payton for Chucky Atkins, Jumaine Jones and Chris Mihm.

In 2005, the Celtics traded that pick again with Payton, Tom Gugliotta and Michael Stewart to the Atlanta Hawks for Antoine Walker!

Later in the summer of 2005, the Hawks traded that pick once more, along with Boris Diaw and a 2008 first-rounder (Robin Lopez), to the Suns for Joe Johnson.

Photo Credit: Elsa, Getty Images

Dirk Nowitzki -- Drafted/Traded By Milwaukee Bucks In 1998

It’s tough to imagine Dirk in a Bucks uniform, no? The Bucks moved Nowitzki on draft day with Pat Garrity for Robert Traylor. Meanwhile, Dirk is a former NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and a 13-time All-Star.

But the nickname Tractor Nowitzki just doesn’t make sense.

Photo Credit: Tom Pennington, Getty Images

Pau Gasol -- Drafted/Traded By Atlanta Hawks In 2001

As we mentioned earlier, the older brother was eventually traded for his younger brother, but well before that, the Hawks traded him on a Draft Day deal with the Grizzlies.

The third pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Atlanta traded his rights to the Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the very first Grizzlies pick ever in Vancouver. Gasol would become a frequent All-Star and he’d win back-to-back champions with the post-Shaq Lakers.

Photo Credit: Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images

Andrew Wiggins – Drafted/Traded By Cleveland Cavaliers In 2014

What a blockbuster trade, considering back-to-back No. 1 overall picks were traded (Wiggins and Anthony Bennett (2013)) from Cleveland in order to bring back Kevin Love from Minnesota. It also helped them get LeBron James back to Cleveland, of course. The 76ers were also involved in this deal, but basically just to help facilitate the deal.

Wiggins won Rookie of the Year and he averaged 23.6 points per game this past season, but it’s tough to argue against what Love has brought to the Cavs, who are coming off back-to-back-to-back NBA Finals appearances.

Photo Credit: Mike Stobe, Getty Images

Kawhi Leonard -- Drafted/Traded By Indiana Pacers In 2011

The Pacers moved Leonard (the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft) in a package deal to San Antonio for George Hill. It’s tough now to think of Leonard as a role player in his first few seasons in the NBA, as he scored under 13.0 points per game in his first three NBA seasons.

Now, though, Leonard has emerged as the star on San Antonio’s machine, and he is a back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year award winner, while also averaging about 23 points per game over the past two seasons.

Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

Rudy Gobert -- Drafted/Traded By Denver Nuggets In 2013

Gobert was a late first-round pick by the Nuggets (27th), who then traded the center to the Jazz for Erick Green and some cash. Gobert didn’t start one game in his rookie season, then he started less than half of his second season. But in the past two years, he has really come into his own, ultimately leading to a second-team All-NBA selection this past season, after he averaged a double-double and led the league in blocks.

Photo Credit: Scott Halleran, Getty Images

Eric Bledsoe -- Drafted/Traded By Oklahoma City Thunder In 2010

In college, Bledsoe moved from his natural point guard position to play shooting guard as a freshman alongside fellow star freshman John Wall at Kentucky. He entered the draft after just one season, as did first overall pick Wall, and the Thunder chose Bledsoe with the 18th overall pick.

In a draft day deal, Bledsoe was shipped to the Clippers for Fab Melo, considering OKC already had Russell Westbrook and James Harden in their backcourt, with Kevin Durant! But once Bledsoe got to the Clippers, a year later, they signed Chris Paul! This past season, however, Bledsoe scored 21 points per game.

Photo Credit: David Sherman, Getty Images

Elfrid Payton – Drafted/Traded By Philadelphia 76ers In 2014

Originally, the 10th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft was owned by New Orleans, who sent it to Philadelphia with Nerlens Noel the previous summer in exchange for Jrue Holiday and Pierre Jackson. The 76ers then picked Payton and traded him to Orlando in exchange for Dario Saric and the Magic’s 2017 first-round pick.

Payton was an All-Rookie player in Year 1, but it was this past season where he really came into his own – especially late in the season. For the entire year, he scored 12.8 points per game, to go with 4.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.

Kevin Love – Drafted/Traded By Memphis Grizzlies In 2008

Coming out of UCLA, Love was considered one of the very best passing centers in the game, with a ton of upside. He was packaged along with Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins and Mike Miller the Minnesota Timberwolves for Greg Buckner, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and O.J. Mayo.

Love went on to become a four-time All-Star, NBA champion and winner of the 2010-11 Most Improved Player Award.

Love and Mayo were the prime pieces in this deal, but it’s pretty great to see Antoine Walker’s name again!

Photo Credit: Jason Miller, Getty Images

2/11

LaMarcus Aldridge – Drafted/Traded By Chicago Bulls In 2006

The Bulls drafted Aldridge out of Texas with the second overall pick in 2006 and promptly traded him to the Trail Blazers for Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa. Aldridge would go on to become a 20-10 center with the Blazers, a five-time All-Star and now he’s playing like a boss with the Spurs.

Photo Credit: Scott Halleran, Getty Images

3/11

Marc Gasol – Drafted/Traded By L.A. Lakers In 2007

The Lakers traded Gasol, their second-round pick in 2007, along with Kwame Brown, a 2008 first-rounder, a 2010 first-rounder and two other players for Pau Gasol and a second-rounder. They ended up winning with the elder Gasol, but it’s tough to look back on this trade with pride if I were a Lakers fan.

Photo Credit: Joe Murphy, Getty Images

4/11

Rajon Rondo -- Drafted/Traded By Phoenix Suns In 2006

Sure, he’s on the backside of his career now, but he helped steer the 2008 Boston Celtics to an NBA Championship and has proven to be one of the best assist-men in the NBA over the past decade. The Suns could afford to move him because they had veteran point guard Steve Nash, but Rondo could have kept this team relevant for the next decade.

Rondo was traded on draft day along with Brian Grant for a 2007 first-rounder that ended up being Rudy Fernandez. What’s really interesting about the draft pick used on Rondo, is that it exchanged hands several times before the Suns used it to pick him.

In 2004, the Lakers, who originally had this pick, traded it with Rick Fox and Gary Payton for Chucky Atkins, Jumaine Jones and Chris Mihm.

In 2005, the Celtics traded that pick again with Payton, Tom Gugliotta and Michael Stewart to the Atlanta Hawks for Antoine Walker!

Later in the summer of 2005, the Hawks traded that pick once more, along with Boris Diaw and a 2008 first-rounder (Robin Lopez), to the Suns for Joe Johnson.

Photo Credit: Elsa, Getty Images

5/11

Dirk Nowitzki -- Drafted/Traded By Milwaukee Bucks In 1998

It’s tough to imagine Dirk in a Bucks uniform, no? The Bucks moved Nowitzki on draft day with Pat Garrity for Robert Traylor. Meanwhile, Dirk is a former NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and a 13-time All-Star.

But the nickname Tractor Nowitzki just doesn’t make sense.

Photo Credit: Tom Pennington, Getty Images

6/11

Pau Gasol -- Drafted/Traded By Atlanta Hawks In 2001

As we mentioned earlier, the older brother was eventually traded for his younger brother, but well before that, the Hawks traded him on a Draft Day deal with the Grizzlies.

The third pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Atlanta traded his rights to the Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the very first Grizzlies pick ever in Vancouver. Gasol would become a frequent All-Star and he’d win back-to-back champions with the post-Shaq Lakers.

Photo Credit: Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images

7/11

Andrew Wiggins – Drafted/Traded By Cleveland Cavaliers In 2014

What a blockbuster trade, considering back-to-back No. 1 overall picks were traded (Wiggins and Anthony Bennett (2013)) from Cleveland in order to bring back Kevin Love from Minnesota. It also helped them get LeBron James back to Cleveland, of course. The 76ers were also involved in this deal, but basically just to help facilitate the deal.

Wiggins won Rookie of the Year and he averaged 23.6 points per game this past season, but it’s tough to argue against what Love has brought to the Cavs, who are coming off back-to-back-to-back NBA Finals appearances.

Photo Credit: Mike Stobe, Getty Images

8/11

Kawhi Leonard -- Drafted/Traded By Indiana Pacers In 2011

The Pacers moved Leonard (the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft) in a package deal to San Antonio for George Hill. It’s tough now to think of Leonard as a role player in his first few seasons in the NBA, as he scored under 13.0 points per game in his first three NBA seasons.

Now, though, Leonard has emerged as the star on San Antonio’s machine, and he is a back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year award winner, while also averaging about 23 points per game over the past two seasons.

Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

9/11

Rudy Gobert -- Drafted/Traded By Denver Nuggets In 2013

Gobert was a late first-round pick by the Nuggets (27th), who then traded the center to the Jazz for Erick Green and some cash. Gobert didn’t start one game in his rookie season, then he started less than half of his second season. But in the past two years, he has really come into his own, ultimately leading to a second-team All-NBA selection this past season, after he averaged a double-double and led the league in blocks.

Photo Credit: Scott Halleran, Getty Images

10/11

Eric Bledsoe -- Drafted/Traded By Oklahoma City Thunder In 2010

In college, Bledsoe moved from his natural point guard position to play shooting guard as a freshman alongside fellow star freshman John Wall at Kentucky. He entered the draft after just one season, as did first overall pick Wall, and the Thunder chose Bledsoe with the 18th overall pick.

In a draft day deal, Bledsoe was shipped to the Clippers for Fab Melo, considering OKC already had Russell Westbrook and James Harden in their backcourt, with Kevin Durant! But once Bledsoe got to the Clippers, a year later, they signed Chris Paul! This past season, however, Bledsoe scored 21 points per game.

Photo Credit: David Sherman, Getty Images

11/11

Elfrid Payton – Drafted/Traded By Philadelphia 76ers In 2014

Originally, the 10th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft was owned by New Orleans, who sent it to Philadelphia with Nerlens Noel the previous summer in exchange for Jrue Holiday and Pierre Jackson. The 76ers then picked Payton and traded him to Orlando in exchange for Dario Saric and the Magic’s 2017 first-round pick.

Payton was an All-Rookie player in Year 1, but it was this past season where he really came into his own – especially late in the season. For the entire year, he scored 12.8 points per game, to go with 4.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.